Trolley wheel and harp



w. H. GILLIES. TROLLEY WHEEL MmK HARP.

MFLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1919.

1,366,378, Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

:UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. GILLIES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 L; LOUIS COHEN, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY WHEEL AN D HARP.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. GILLIEs, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trolley Wheels and Harps, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s, forming a part of this specification.

y invention relates to a trolley wheel and harp construction such as is emplo ed y in conjunction with the trolleys of electrical railway cars and the like, and briefly stated, my invention contemplates:

First: A trolley wheel and harp construction that is characterized by its simplicity and durability, and which can be manufactured at low cost. Y

Second: A construction of this class wherein the trolley wheel comprises a removable rim which readily maybe removed and replaced Whenever occasion requires.

Third: A construction of this class wherein the harp is so formed and arranged that the wheel rim lmay be removed and replaced as aforesaid without in any way disturbi-ng the mounting of the spider or trolley wheel proper. Fourth: A construction of this class which comprises a simplified form of anti-friction bearing for the trolley wheel and novel and eiiicient means for adequately lubricating the several parts of the bearing.

Fifth: A trolley wheel and harp construction comprising novel means for at all times maintaining perfect electrical connection between the harp and wheel, said means beingV in the form of a spring'which is retained in position solely by its resiliency without the use of rivets, screws or the like, and which.

may be placed in operative position and Aremoved therefrom without `the 'use' of special tools of any kind.

These and other features of my inventio will appear as the following detailed de- In the accompanying drawings illustratin@ my invention,

igure 1 is a side velevational view of a- Fig. 2 isaA vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an isolated view in perspective ofthe improved contact spring which maintalns perfect electrical connection between the harp and trolley wheel, at all times.

Similar characters of reference refer to gorresponding parts in the several gures. ln the drawings, the trolley, trolley harp, trolley wheel proper and the removable rim are illustrated respectively at A,IB, C and The harp B comprises an integral member, preferably of cast steel, which consists of the sleeve or socket 10,'the upwardly extending arm or bracket ll-which lies to one side of the axis of sleeve 10,v and the bearing pin 12 which projects laterally from bracket 11. The bearing pin l2 overlies the sleeve or socket l0 and is ldisposed with its axis at right angles to the said sleeve or socket 10. The harp sleeve or socket receives and is rigidly secured to the upper end vof the trolley by anysuitable means, as for instance a plurality ofrivet pins 13-13.

The pivot pin l2 comprises three portions of different diameters; namely, the portion 12a of greatest diameter, the portion 12b'and the reduced threaded end 12C. Carried on the Vintermediate portion 12b are the inner ball races 14`14 with which coperate bearing balls 15-15 and outer races 16-16.

i 'lhe spider or trolley wheel proper illustratedv at C comprises the hub 17 within which are suitably mounted the outer ball races 16e-16. The hub also preferably comprises the inwardly projecting annular flange 18 which is grooved to receive packingmaterial 19 which lies snugly in engagement with'the portion 12a of the pin 12 and effectively prevents the escape of lubricating oil at this point. ItV will be noted that the flange 18 provides a flat annular face on that side thereof nearest the harp bracket 11.

The hub 17 and the bearingV elements are retained in position upon the pin 12 by washer 20 and castle nut 21, the latter being pinned or otherwise locked against displacement. Y

The hub 17 is externally screw-threaded at 22 to coperate vwith internal threads formed in a hubcap 23, asis clearly shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that with the several parts assembled, as shown in Fig.

ing material 19 afford a tight chamber .capable of receiving substantial' quantity of 105 2, the pin 12, hub cap 23, hub 17 and pack- 4 `to supply the bearing elements with a substantial supply of lubricant at the. time of installation, and this is doubly important inthe case of my improved wheel wherein Yit is contemplated that' the 'spider or wheel proper shall outlast a large number of rims thatmay be placed thereon fromtime to time.

Radiating from the hub 17 are the arms or spokes 25, eachof which is slightly enlargedatits freeend, and is provided with an outwardly projectinglip 26 on one side thereof. The extremities of these armsor Y lspokes are struck on a circumference or cirthe lugs S-30 and 31-31 coperate to re-V Y cle having'the wheel axis for its center, so

thatthe'rim -D readily may be slipped in position over the' ends of the spokes and against the several lips 26-26. The rim vis Vpreferably retained in position by locking plates 27-27, each of which is arranged to be clamped in position by a cap screw l28. Any suitable vform of locking washer (not shown) or other equivalent means may be provided in connection witlrthe cap screws 28. It will be noted that the inner surface of the rim D isv perfectly smooth so that it may be placed and secured in any angular position with respect Yto the spokes 25-25.

The lower part of the Vharp bracket l1 is provided with aV transverse slot 29.A Intermediate ythe slot l29 and the upper end of bracket 11, the latter isprovided witha pair of'lugs. 30-30 which face toward each other. At its Vupper end, the harp bracket l1' is provided with a second pair oflugs 31--31 which extend-toward each other, but which are disposed withtheir adjacent ends a substantial distance apart. The slot 29 and tain the contact spring 32 in operative position without the necessity ofproviding rivets, screws or similar devices. The spring is Vformed from a single piece of flat metal, such as brass, and comprises a shank consisting of a fiat portion `32a which at its lower end' is lprovided with a forwardly turned lip 32": The shankisturned rear wardly from the straight portion 2fl and then extends .upwardly for a substantial distance where it is turned forwardly at right angles to form the neck 32c which consists of'a portion of substantially the same widthasthe body of the shank, and a portion of lesser width than the body of the shank.

It will be noted that the larger portion of e@ afweten@ e@ a@ tance between the adjacent endsof the lugs 231-31, whereas the smaller portion of the neck is of a width somewhat less than the distance between the adjacent ends of the lugs t-3l. Formed upon the end of neck 32c is a flat segmental head 32d, which is disposed in Va plane substantially parallel with the shank. Y

After ythe harp and trolley wheel parts have been assembled, as shown in Fig. 2, the shank portion of spring 82 is slipped down between the body portion of the bracket and the spaced lugs 30-.30- The upper end' of the shank is then sprung rearwardly and the narrow portion ofthe neck 2C is permitted to sli-p down between lugs 31-31 until thelip 321 engages in slot 29. Upon. the release ofthe upper end of the spring, the resiliency of the metal causes the head .821 to firmly press against the adjacent annular surface of the wheel hub. lTith thehead 32d pressing against the wheel hub the wide portion lot tl1eU1ieck`-32C lies under the lugs l-land thus .the spring is securely held against accidental displacement. It will be noted that the sprngfhead comprises a substantial area in vcontact with the wheel Vhub and that the spring shank has a substantial area in 'contact with the bracket, thus insuring a good Velectrical con'- nectionV between the wheel and bracket. TWhen the contact spring is V to be removed for any reason, it is only necessary to spring plated for contact with the outer ends ofV the spokes of spider C. In this Vcase the outer endsV of the spokes are correspondingly copper plated. This yconstruction is desirable since manganese steel is very hard and substantially non-corrosive and maybe given a very smoothk surface `at the point where it engages the trolley wire. Some difficulty has been 'experienced with .bronze rilns because of the fact that the saine are subject to pitting'andtend to wear the trolley wire. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toojsecure by United States Letters Patent, is:

l. In a construction of the class described, a harp bracket provided `at its lower end with means for attaching it `to a trolley, a

llO

bracket and projecting laterallytherefrom,

a wheel spider rotatably mounted onsaid pin, saidspider consisting of a hub having a plurality'of arms`radiafliillngth9rfr9lz arms having outer end surfaces allv struck on the circumference of a circle having the spider hub axis as its center, a One-piece an nular rim having a continuous inner surface arrangedto lie around the ends of said arms, an outwardly projecting lip formedon the outer end oi each of said arms, and clamping means carried by each of said arms for securing said rim in position against said lips. i

2. In a construction of the class described, a harp bracket provided at its lower end with means for attaching it to a trolley, a bearing pin formed integral with said bracket and projecting laterally therefrom, a wheel spider rotatably mounted on said pin, said spider consisting of a hub having a plurality of arms radiating therefrom, a one-piece ex` ternally grooved rim arranged to lit around said arms and to lie in anyangular position with respect to said arms, together with clamps at the outer ends of the spider arms for retaining said rim in operative position upon said spider.

3. A construction of the class described comprising a bracket provided at its lower end with means for attaching the same to a trolley, a pin formed integral with the upper end of said bracket and projecting laterally therefrom, an inner ball race carried by said pin. a coperating outer ball race, a wheel spider comprising a hub in which said last mentioned race is mounted, kbearing balls cooperating with said races` arms radiating from said hub, a removable rim disposed around and in engagement with said arms, said hub provided on that side thereot` nearest the bracket with an annular lip lying around said pin and carrying packing material snugly fitting said pin, together with a can fitted upon the other end of said hub, said hub, cap, pin and packing material constituting a closed chamber adapted to re ceive and hold a substantial quantity of lubricant.

4. A construction of the cla-ss described comprising a harp bracket provided at its lower end with means for attaching the same to a trolley, a pin formed integral with the upper end of said bracket and projecting laterally therefrom` a wheel spider comprisine' a hub and a pluralitv of integral arms radiating from said hub. said hub being fitted around said pin, anti-friction bearing devices interposed between the pin and the hub.y a removable rim disposed around the cuter ends ot said arms. said hub being provided on that end thereof nearest the bracket with an inwardly proiectinq lip carrying pacla'innr material snugly fitting said pin. and a hub cap fitted upon the other end of said hub. said hub. hub cap. pin and packing material constitutingr a closed chamber adapted to receive and hold a substantial quantity of lubricant.

5. A construction of the class described comprising a harp bracket provided at its lower end with a socket arranged to receive the upper end of a trolley, aid bracket comprising an upwardly extending portion ofi' set from said socket, a pin formed integral with the upper portion of said bracket overhanging said socket, a wheel spider, said spider comprising a hub and a plurality of integral arms radiating therefrom, said hub rotatably mounted on said pin, a one-piece externally grooved rim fitted around the outer ends of said arms, and devices for detachably securing said rim to said arms.

G. A construction of the class described comprising a trolley harp bracket provided at its'upper end with a bearing pin extending laterally therefrom, a trolley wheel mounted on said pin, said wheel comprising a hub having a ilat annular surface facing said bracket, a slot formed in said bracket near the lower end thereof, a pair of spaced overhanging ylugs carried at the upper end ci said bracket, and a spring comprising a shank portion provided at its lower end with a lip arranged to engage in said slot, said spring comprising a neck portion turned from said shank portion at substantially right angles thereto, and a flat head of substantial area turned from said neck and lying in a plane substantially parallel with said shank, said neck comprising portions of different width, that portion of the neck adjacent the shank being of a width greater than the distance between said overhanging lugs, that portion of the neck ad- `jacent the head being of less width than the distance between said overhanging lugs, together with means spaced from the body portion oi said bracket arranged to serve as an abutment for an intermediate portion oi' said shank.

7. A harp bracket carrying a pivot pin at one end thereof, a wheel mounted on said pin, an integral contact member of fiat spring metal comprising a head portion bearing against the wheel hub, a shank portion off set from and substantially parallel to the head portion bearing against the bracket, a neck connecting the head and shank, said neck comprising two portions of dierent width, spaced lugs carried by said bracket overhanging said neck, and means carried by the bracket and spaced from the body portion thereof arranged to constitute an abutment for an intermediate portion of said shank.

8. A harp bracket carrying a pivot pin at one end thereof, a wheel mounted on said pin, an integral contact member of flat spring metal comprising a head portion bearing against the wheel hub, a shank p0rtion oil' set from and substantially parallel to the head portion bearing against the bracket, a neck connecting the head and` shank, said neck comprising two portions of said shank arranged to engage in said of different Width, spaced lugs carried by slot. 10 said bracket overhanging said neck, and In Witness whereof7 I hereunto subscribe means carried by the bracket and spaced my name this 8th day of November, 1919.

from the body portion thereof arranged to constitute an abutment for an intermediate Witnesses: portion of said shank, together With a slot ANDREW VVINTERGORN, in sad'bracket, and a lip in the lower end `EDNA V. GUsTAFsON.

WLLIAM GrILLIES.v 

